Democracy And Participation Flashcards
What is representative democracy?
- people vote for elected representatives; in local/general elections; makes decisions on people’s behalf
- can either be party or person
What is direct democracy?
- people’s views relayed directly from them
- all decisions reflect majority view; binary
- multiple access points for direct action/influence
- lack of political pluralism
Definition of democracy?
- power in hands of all/system of gov that allows all citizens to participate/influence gov decisions
key features of democracy - elections
- fair, free, secret elections w/equal say
- turnout varies according to age group.
- GEs in UK; free/fair, but FPTP makes it difficult to achieve majority, so many votes wasted.
Ad/dis of direct democracy
Ad:
- purest from
- encourages participation
- encourages genuine debate
- can avoid deadlock/delay
- great legitimacy
- removed need for trusted representatives
- equal weight to all votes
Dis:
- can lead to tyranny of the majority
- some issues too complex for ordinary citizens
- open to manipulation
- many don’t want to take part is decision making
Ad/dis of representative democracy
Ad:
- practical where issues complex
- reduces tyranny of majority
- politicians from parties; coherence/choice
- pressure groups form/encourage pluralist democracy
- representative hold to account during elections
- expert knowledge/experience in representatives
Dis:
- minorities lack representation
- politicians skilful in avoiding accountability
- decreased participation
- parties/pressure groups run by ppl perusing own agenda
- politicians sometimes corrupt/incompetent
- FPTP produces highly unrepresentative result
What is suffrage?
- the right to vote
- universal suffrage = democracy
What is the Great Reform Act 1832?
- passed by Whig gov of Lord Grey
- 1/5 males could vote; 5.6% of population
- abolished rotten boroughs such as Old Sarum; constituencies that had almost no voters, but elected two MPs every election
What is the Second Reform Act 1867?
- bigger in scope
- passed by Tory gov of Disraeli
- allowed many working class men in cities to vote; 1/3 of men
- retained difference between cities/countryside
What is the Third Reform Act 1884?
- passed by Gladstone’s Lib gov
- est. uniform franchise for men
- all working men who met property qualification
- 40% of men still excluded
What is the Representation of the People Act 1918?
- product of WWI; Lloyd-George coalition gov
- all men over 21 (19 for veterans)
- women over 30 who met property qualification
What is the Representation of the People Act 1928?
- Baldwin’s Tory gov
- women receive vote on equal terms to men
- all over 21
- property qualifications removed
What is the Representation of the People Act 1969?
- Wilson
- lowered voting age to 18
Who were the Chartists/what were their aims?
- demanded adoption by parliament of the People’s Charter
- all men to have vote irrespective of wealth/property
- secret ballot
- parliamentary elections every year
- equally sized constituencies
- MPs to be paid
- property qualification abolished
- key leaders - William Lovett, Francis Place, Feargus O’Connor; used petitions (big in 1839, 1842, 1848)
Who were the suffragists?
- National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies; 1897; Millicent Fawcett
- peaceful/constitutional methods including meetings, leaflets, petitions, marches, lobbying
- 100,000 members by 1914
Who were the suffragettes?
- Women’s Social and Political Union; 1903; Emmeline Pankhurst
- more militant/prepared to break the law; chained themselves to railings, hackling/disrupting public meetings, criminal damage/arson
- went on hunger strike when imprisoned; gov passed the Cat and Mouse Act to enable force-feeding.
Arguments used to demand votes for women
- women are intellectually equal
- women paid equivalent taxes/obeyed same laws
- woman could already vote in local elections/serve as mayors
- roles as wives/mothers made vital contribution
- franchise had already been reformed to include 2/3s of men
- women could bring additional experience
Arguments deployed against women
- men naturally better suited to some areas
- women too emotional
- politics would distract from roles as wives/mothers
- women not able to serve in war
- drastic actions of suffragettes proved unsuitability
- women would outnumber men among electorate
Should prisoners have the right to vote?
YES:
- civic responsibility; makes rehabilitation harder
- fundamental right
- no evidence that taking away vote acts as effective deterrent
- alienates them
- ECtHR ruled against blanket ban
NO:
- rights come with responsibilities
- prisoners concentrated in certain areas; not necessarily permanent members of community
- public opinion against it
- undermine parliamentary sovereignty
- ECtHR ruling/interpretation goes beyond original framework; example of judicial overreach
key features of democracy - representation
- those elected must act in best interest of citizens in area/rep views effectively
- most elected reps belong to political party/rep their party’s views.
key features of democracy - legitimacy
- govs/legislatures have legal authority as have been fairly chosen in elections.
- fptp distorts party representation at Westminster; no recent UK gov has won supper of over 50% of those who voted.
key features of democracy - participation
- ppl can get involved/contribute to politics and policy-making in no. of ways.
- wide range of participation opportunities; some require more commitment than others.
key features of democracy - accountability
- those elected are held accountable for actions; should be transparent, open, free from corruption.
- frequent complaints about how gov/public bodies try to cover up mistakes;
allegations of partisan favouritism in many areas of gov - R. Miller vs Secretary of State for Exiting the EU; British business owner challenged gov over ruling to implement Brexit without allowing Parliament’s approval to do so.
key features of democracy - rule of law
- laws apply equally to everyone including gov/elected officials; anyone who breaks law is punished.
- many argue that they sometimes see themselves as above/exempt from laws everyone else has to follow.
key features of democracy - smooth transition of power
- there is formal process for hand power from one gov to next; takes place peacefully without violent or mass protests.
- calm in general in UK; prolonged hiatus/debate over Brexit deal views by many Leave supporters as attempt to thwart will of the people
key features of democracy - civil rights
- right of the people protected/defended through the courts.
- UK lacks embedded set of civil rights/relies largely on parliamentary statues that could be repealed.
- access to justice can be prohibitively expensive.
- Human Rights Act; rights defended in UK courts; public organisations must treat everyone equally.
kay features of democracy - education/information
- public well education politically/have access to accurate info from trustworthy sources; enables effective/informed participation in political process.
- many sources of news/info biased; election campaigns rely on highly simplified messages that at worst can be very misleading.
How are e-petitions used?
- originally statues in 2006/relaunched in 2011; end and members of public to identify/raise issues with gov; more than 10,000 signatures - receives response from gov; 100,000 - considered for debate.
- 2019 - 6m signatures to revoke Article 50/remain in EU.
- 2019 - 1.7m in opposition to planned prorogation of parliament in midst of debates/stalemate.
- 2017 - 1.86m to stop Trump from making state visit to UK.
should there be greater use of direct democracy in UK? - YES
YES:
- enhances legitimacy; decisions have direct authority/mandate of people; when ppl vote, they may not necessarily agree with all policies in party manifesto.
- it works; popular with voters/engages them; turnout of 2014 Scottish Independence referendum = 84.6%; works in other countries such as switzerland.
- improves accountability; wishes of ppl cannot be ignored; can sometimes provide useful corrective when MP’s views out of step with country, such as Brexit.
what was the main tactic of the Chartists?
- compilation/submission of three monster petitions in 1839, 1842, 1848; up to 6m signatures, though some of dubious authenticity eg Queen Victoria more than once.
- each occasion - overwhelmingly rejected by parliament.
- movement collapsed after 1848 failure; over time - all but one aim achieved/influenced creation of other political movements such as the Reform League.
how successful were the suffragettes and suffragists?
- witnessed success quicker than Chartists; women given vote in 1918/remainder in 1928.
- contribution of women during war especially as munitions workers played part in their success; need to settle aspects of male suffrage by war’s end.
- took far longer for women to be elected in any large numbers; first was Nancy Astor in 1919, but not until after 1997 that large numbers began to get elected; Thatcher = first female PM in 1979.
should 16-17 year olds be given the vote?
YES:
- allowed to vote in Scottish Independence referendum.
- can vote in the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernesey, Brazil, Austria.
- 16 = age you can legally marry, have sex, enter armed forces.
- around 1.5m; evidence from S.R suggested they may be expected to have large turnout.
- no. of organisations pressing case including Electoral Reform Society.
NO:
- some people argue that 18 year olds shouldn’t even be able to vote.
- need life experience; should pay taxes/think independently -> personal maturity.
traditional forms of participation
traditional forms:
- voting in range of elections eg national, local, regional, referendums.
- membership of political party
- standing as candidate in elections.
- joining pressure group
- writing letters to MPs/councillors
- going on march/strike
modern methods of participation
- e-petitions
- following, retweeting, liking political posts on social media.
- organising/participating in protests such as those associated with BLM via social media.
- boycotting certain goods/businesses.
political participation crisis in the UK? - what does evidence cited tend to focus on?
- voter turnout in elections
- membership of political parties
- growing volatility among voters
what is the current/general trend of participation through voting?
- overall, turnout in GEs lower than historically; 1945-1992 - usually 75%; 2024 - fell to 60%.
what was the turnout of the 2019 European elections?
- 37% (34% in 2014)
what was the turnout of the 2018 local elections for unitary councils?
- 33% (37% in 2017)
what was the turnout of the 2016 police and crime commissioner elections?
- 27% (15% in 2012)
what was the turnout of the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections?
- 56% (50% in 2011)
what was the turnout of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum?
85%
what was the turnout of the 2011 AV referendum?
42%
What do the turnout figures suggest?
- turnout = poor; don’t necessarily prove turnout falling consistently
- significant variation according to age; older = more likely to vote; turnout in 2019 ranged from 47% among 18-24 up to 74% among over 65s.
—> wider gap than 2017; 54% and 71%.
what is the general picture of participation through party membership?
- falling membership
What was the membership of the Labour Party in 2019 and what is it in 2025?
485,000 in 2019; 309,000 in 2025
What was the membership of the Conservative Party in 2019 and what is it in 2025?
180,000 in 2019; 131,000 in 2025
What was the membership of the SNP in 2019?
126,000
What was the membership of the Liberal Democrats in 2019 and in 2023?
115,000 in 2019; more than 90,000 in 2024
What was the membership of the Green Party (England/Wales) in 2019 and in 2024?
48,500 in 2019; over 59,000 in 2024
What was the membership of UKIP in 2019?
29,000
What was the membership of Plaid Cymru in 2019?
10,000
What do the membership figures show?
- combined membership of Tories, Lab, Lib Dems = 1.7% of electorate.
- compare favourably to historic low of 0.8% in 2013.
- Labour enjoyed surge in years of Cornyn leadership.
- figures lower than earlier decades; 1950s - Conservatives = 2.8m, Labour = 1m + several million through affiliated TUs
overall assessment of membership figures
- clear decline of formal membership, but not of terminal; Labour grew considerably in years after 2014.
- membership of SNP/Greens has grown in recent years.
- churches/TUs have also seen sharp decline in membership since 1950s.
how is membership of parties skewed by age and social class?
- majority of party members belong to higher social classes (ABC1); 2019 figures suggest this ranged from 85% of Lib Dem members to 65% of UKIP members.
- average age is above 50 for all main parties; more than half (53%) of current Tory members aged 60+; 18-24 make up 4-6% of overall Lab, Lib Dem, Tory memberships
what is meant by electoral volatility?
- far more likely to switch between parties, suggesting wider disillusionment with parties/politicians —> partisan dealignment
why could partisan dealignment be seen as part of wider pattern of disenchantment with parties/politicians?
- social class less reliable as indicator of voting behaviour; voters more prepared to shop around/vote according to policies and personalities as opposed to trad tribal loyalties.
- new parties have gained in recent elections; UKIP/Brexit Party tipped last two European elections contested; Greens gained nearly 200 seats in 2019 local elections; independents gained in excess of 600 new councillors in same; Greens and Reform gained 9 seats combined in 2024.
Is there a participation crisis in the UK? - yes
Yes:
- turnout low in many recent elections.
- membership has declined in past half century.
- partisan dealignment = voters feeling no affiliation particular party.
- disillusionment increased since 2009 expenses scandal.
- political apathy particularly marked among 18-24; less likely to vote/join party than older.
- many modern political participation methods amount to slacktivism.
Is there are participation crisis in the UK? - no
- some parties (SNP/Greens) have seen growth in membership recently
- election turnout not consistently low
- shift away from traditional modes of participation
- social movements/less structured campaign groups focus on direct action eg XR/BLM; can attract strong support/commitment, esp from younger voters
- internet based movements can be powerful; #MeToo campaign against sexual harassment led to much public debate.
additional aspects of democracy?
- different beliefs, parties, associations tolerated; encourages political pluralism; Just Stop Oil - able to cause commotion without much fear, however recent controversy with sentence given to member.
- media free/independent; freedom of expression/prevents propaganda; headlines about Prince Andrew being on Epstein list; able to be critical of key figures without fear of closure.
- legal limited to powers of gov; ensures no branch can be more powerful; SC ruling that Rwanda bill breaches human rights; can check gov independently with no fear of being removed.
What is the membership of Reform in 2025?
Over 200,000
